


Te Negre

by DontTrustLoserCandy



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shop, Attraction at first sight, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Phichit is still a skater, barista!Victor, chris and his bf are still a thing but it's lowkey enough i didn't add the relationship tag tbh, coffee shop name and aesthetics vaguely inspired by a RL place, danseur!yuuri, everyone is a skating fan, gratuitous amounts of tea, mentions of RL figure skaters, poodle pictures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 01:43:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11681400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontTrustLoserCandy/pseuds/DontTrustLoserCandy
Summary: Wherein Yuuri stumbles upon a coffee shop in Barcelona and finds the love of his life.(Or, Yuuri will someday refuse to let Phichit start off his best man speech like this)





	Te Negre

**Author's Note:**

> aka I'm weak coffee shop au trash and this took months to finish editing (bc i'm lazy) (yeah it's based on that El Café d'en Victor place)  
> many thanks to neko for beta reading this!!! and for roasting me and my grammar bad habits with savage levels of salt. I needed it lmao  
> Hope you enjoy!

Yuuri is walking down a street which name he spent three minutes trying to pronounce, squinting the entire time, when he stumbles upon the coffee shop. He almost overlooks it as it is, thinking it's a restaurant when he sees the open seats under the shade of the big parasols, but his eyes stumble on the name, and he stops.

Yuuri's Spanish is atrocious, and his Catalan non-existent, but he's Googled enough these past days to know that 'café' _does_ mean coffee shop, even in Spanish, and Victor is a name he's familiar enough with after years of attending college in America and meeting all sorts of people Phichit befriended at parties. Hesitantly, he comes to the conclusion that the coffee shop must be named _Victor's café_ and, after a moment, decides to go in. It looks quiet enough at midday, and Yuuri is starting to feel the effects of hours walking down the city without anything to drink.

It feels bigger on the inside, although not _too_ big, and Yuuri stares for a moment at the gratuitous amounts of artwork hanging on the walls. Pictures of sights and cities from all around the world, gorgeous to the point of being distracting, cover the walls from side to side of the surprisingly rustic looking coffee shop. It's considerably quiet, too, despite the ten or so patrons occupying half of the booths, and Yuuri walks towards the counter even as he keeps taking in the details of the place.

"¿Qué puedo hacer por ti, guapo?" A voice says, soft and deep, and Yuuri jumps as he turns around.

And then feels his heart trip on his chest and up his throat as his cheeks turn into what's probably a crab-like shade of red.

"A-ah," he stutters, coughing when he chokes on his spit. The barista keeps looking at him, face open and entirely too attractive for rational thought, and Yuuri looks away. "Um, English...?"

"Oh!" The barista says, eyebrows going up even as his face breaks into a smile that makes Yuuri's knees feel _weak._ "Of course, sorry. What can I get you?"

The barista's accent is light, like someone who's been speaking the language for a long time, and even though it doesn't sound Spanish it makes Yuuri's toes curl in a way that is entirely too embarrassing.

So, of course, Yuuri makes a complete fool of himself.

"Wh-what do you have? On the menu?" He fidgets, looking up at the menu on the wall and staring at it blankly, English and Roman alphabet completely forgotten. The barista follows his gaze, turning around and settling his arms behind the counter comfortably.

Yuuri makes the mistake of looking down, eyes fixing on the man's bare neck and the way his muscles show through his work uniform.

Oh, wow.

"...and then we have the Vasilisa, which comes with a nice shot of a whiskey of your choice," the man says, turning around to wink at him, and Yuuri realizes with no small amount of embarrassment that he just zoned out for the entirety of the barista's explanation.

Panic kicks in.

"Water!" he says, voice too loud in the nearly silent coffee shop. Then he realizes that _I'll have water_ is still a terrible option, and his eyes frantically jump to what he recognizes after a second as a basket full of tea bags. "With tea. Water with tea, please."

"So, a tea?" The barista asks, eyebrow and lips rising in amusement, and Yuuri feels his face burn even as he nods. "What kind?"

"Uh, black tea? Just black tea, no sugar or milk, please."

The barista starts to prepare his drink with a hum, and Yuuri lets his legs give out under him as he slumps on one of the stools in front of the counter. Then he realizes that getting up and moving elsewhere when his tea is done will be _weird_ , so now he's stuck there, and proceeds to hide his face in his hands.

Would it be _too_ weird to move now? Maybe he can just say he wanted to rest his legs for a second. Honestly, Yuuri might be having a stroke right now.

"¡Eh, Víctor! ¿ligando con la clientela? ¡Al chiquillo se le ve a punto de morir!" One of the patrons in the booths hollers, everyone else laughing after his words, and Yuuri sinks deeper into his seat.

Nope, not moving anymore.

The barista, who laughs and quips something back in a way that tells Yuuri that _this_ must be Victor, finishes preparing his tea and puts it in front of him with a flourish, smile heart-shaped and absolutely _unreal._

"There you go, black tea, as black as it gets."

"Like my soul," Yuuri answers on pure Pavlovian conditioning borne from years living with Phichit, distracted by the smell of the tea for a second, and then his words sink in. "I mean-!"

Victor chuckles, turning around to leave, and Yuuri slumps in his seat to stare at his hot tea for answers and an early grave. But instead of moving as far away from Yuuri as possible, Victor comes _back,_ glass and rag in hand even as he stays much closer to Yuuri than strictly necessary.

Yuuri guesses he's a really thoughtful barista and wants to sink deeper in his seat in his shame. Or maybe get blackout drunk and forget he ever opened his stupid mouth.

"So, what brings you here, ah...?"

"Yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki." Yuuri says, settling his fingers carefully on the still too hot cup.

"Victor Nikiforov," Victor says, with a grin, and Yuuri feels himself smiling back just a bit. "What brings you to Barcelona? Where do you come from? Your accent sounds American."

"I'm from Japan, actually, but I've been studying in America for five years now," Yuuri says, voice growing soft as he wraps his hands more firmly around the cup. "I'm here for, uh, a competition? The Grand Prix Final."

"Oh, figure skating?" Victor lights up, leaning on the counter to better look at him, and Yuuri swallows a mouthful of his slightly too hot tea and nods. "Are you a fan, Yuuri?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Yuuri admits, smiling a little and thinking back to spending his childhood in a skating rink when it wasn't Minako-sensei's ballet studio. "Are you?"

"A bit," Victor chuckles, good-natured even as he puts down the glass and produces another one from nowhere. "Was a big fan of Plushenko growing up. Some of his routines were really fun."

Yuuri smiles, having an idea of which ones Victor is talking about and, before he's aware of it, they're in the middle of a conversation about their favorite skating routines of the last ten years, and which ones were the most hilarious or most moving.

The coffee shop stays quiet, not many people coming in at this time of the day and the clients who are there already staying long after their food and drinks are gone, talking with each other. Their conversation stays largely uninterrupted, although Yuuri notices Victor _does_ give his full attention to anyone who comes in or asks for a refill, and Yuuri doesn't notice he's been drinking non-stop until he's on his third cup of tea and his bladder is starting to feel uncomfortable.

Embarrassed, he asks Victor if there's a bathroom, and the man points him towards a door almost hidden between two portraits of a family of hippos playing in the mud and a sparkling waterfall. Eyebrows rising, he looks back at Victor, but the man only grins with the expression of someone who knows _exactly_ how borderline inappropriate it is. Despite himself, Yuuri snorts.

The bathroom is cleaner than most of the bathrooms he's seen in his life and decidedly much nicer, and Yuuri is drying his hands when his phone vibrates in his pants.

Curious, he opens the app and blinks at the barrage of pics he's been sent.

 

_Yuri!!! WAKE UP_

_Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuri_

_;_;_

_You weren't answering your phone so I went to the Sagrada Familia by myself and it looks SO COOL_

_I took so many selfies just look_

_[Image]_

_[Image]_

_[Image]_

_[Image]_

_[Image]_

_And these are only the ones I didn't post_

_Check out my Instagram when you come back to the land of the internet!!_

_Also I met a guy who's apparently also watching the GPF and he owns a pole???? YOU MUST MEET HIM_

_Phichit!! Sorry my phone was on vibration_

_I got a bit distracted on my way there_

_(And lost)_

_(A little)_

_There's a very nice coffee shop in...Uh. I think it's close to the Sagrada Familia, but I'm not sure?_

_Anyways, it's a nice place!_

_And sorry for ditching you >.<;;;; it was an accident_

_You abandoned me for coffee????? Yuuri you better have ditched me for the hot barista instead of the_ coffee

_Uh_

_Well_

_About that_

_Omg??????_

_SPILL_

_I mean, he's nice??? And also into figure skating_

_Really funny, too. His English is really good_

_Was it his_ English skills _that kept you there though????_ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

_PHICHIT_

_N O_

_.....He might. Be a bit attractive_

_Or a lot_

_Very attractive_

_I might have forgotten how to read English at some point_

_Or talk_

_Or act like a human in general_

_It was so embarrassing_

_Omg_

_Did you get his number????_

_Uh, no?_

_I'm still at the coffee shop_

_Get it!!!!_

_Actually no nvm tell me where you are I'm coming_

_To make sure you don't accidentally set your hair on fire and that he's not a creep_

_Also I'm bringing my new friend and his bf_

_That. Was_ **once**

_And it wasn't like that either, the guy just invited me for a coffee_

_Are you ever going to let me live that down???_

_Uh huh_

_And nope, not ever_

_Too funny_

_Now go get your barista man!!!_

_But tell me first where u are_

_Thanks Phichit_

_I'll drop you the coordinates okay?_

_I can't remember the street name and the coffee shop's name was in Catalan I think_

_[link] there you go_

_Okay!! I'm on mah way homey_

_Letting you around other college students before you became one yourself was the biggest mistake of my life_

 

Yuuri sighs, tucking back his phone, and goes back to his seat. He notices some new people seated outside, Victor asking their orders and saying something to make them laugh, and his eyes drop down as Victor bends over to apparently point something out on the menu.

Even through the window, the view is enough for Yuuri to feel his face flush and his brain go into overdrive, and he grabs at his tea and swallows it down like a shot, appearances be damned.

Then he realizes that maybe giving Phichit the free card to come here and play matchmaker isn't the best idea after all, and he groans and buries his face in his hands once again.

"Yuuri? Everything alright?" Victor says, walking through the counter, and Yuuri jumps up and nods.

"Yes, yes, everything's alright!" He rushes and then settles down with an embarrassed grimace. "...My friend might be coming here with a couple of his friends."

"Hmm. Is that bad?" Victor says, distracted as he concentrates on his order, and Yuuri shrugs.

"Not really, he just… has a lot of dirt on me." _And is really embarrassing when he's trying to matchmake me with someone._

Victor laughs, a nice, surprised laughter, and Yuuri feels his heartbeat jump unevenly in his chest. At this point, he's going to have to call an _ambulance_ , Victor is that deadly.

"You don't look much like someone who has dirt to begin with, Yuuri. What, do you have posters of your favorite skater covering all your walls? An embarrassing childhood crush, maybe?" Victor says, voice light and amused, and laughs again. Yuuri stares, dazed and unable to discern if he should be insulted or not by Victor's flippant tone.

"I pole dance," Yuuri's mouth says, without the rest of _Yuuri's brain's permission,_ and he almost swallows his tongue as his face pales in record time.

Victor, meanwhile, loses the grip on the glass on his hand and almost drops it, full of coke and all. He manages to save it, in a series of very inelegant flailing that almost gets him an apron and shirt full of the sticky liquid, and Yuuri finds himself snorting at the image.

"O-oh." Victor says, putting down the glass of coke and looking at him with wide, blue eyes. He seems to consider his next words, a tongue peeking out to wet his lips. "Are you any good?"

Yuuri flushes, mortification coming back full force, and hides his face behind his cup as best as he can. It's not very successful.

"N-no, I just know some tricks...Nothing too advanced, or anything."

Victor hums, gathering all the glasses on a tray, and leaves as Yuuri considers the pros and cons of going to hide in the bathroom for the rest of his life.

Or at least the rest of Victor's shift, which might be harder or easier depending on whether or not Victor is the owner of the coffee shop, and possibly the one to close up at closing time.

...Oh god.

_Is_ Victor the owner of the coffee shop?

Yuuri bites his lip, considering asking Victor when he comes back, and tries to take another sip of tea only to be reminded he already finished it. Fidgeting, he looks for something to do, and his eyes drop upon a napkin dispenser.

Perfect.

Except that, as soon as he takes one napkin out, he notices the coffee shop's brand on it and, over the name, what is unmistakably Victor's profile.

Well, there's the answer to that.

He stares at the tissue in a daze for a while, completely forgetting his initial intentions to rip it to pieces or attempt folding it into origami, and before he's aware of it Victor is back behind the counter and refilling his cup of tea without a word.

"Ah- thanks..." Yuuri says, feeling slightly embarrassed that Victor caught him staring at the napkin with Victor's face in it, but Victor just smiles.

"If you want a change of pace, just ask." the man says, winking playfully, and Yuuri nods in gratitude. Really, with all the caffeine he's putting in his body, he's going to need to sneak into a ballet studio to dance it all out or risk a sleepless night at this pace. Still, when Victor gives him the cup with a cheerful 'there you go' and a heart-shaped smile, all Yuuri can think is _worth it._ "So, tell me about yourself, Yuuri."

"Ah- there's...not really a lot to tell about me," Yuuri mumbles, breathing in the hot tea until his glasses begin to mist, then putting it down to fidget. "I'm from a little town in Japan, and went to study overseas when I turned eighteen. I dance. I have a dog."

"A dog?" Victor asks, eyes shining three shades brighter, and Yuuri blinks.

"Ah, yes. A poodle." Yuuri says, and Victor _gasps._

"Me too! Oh, aren't poodles the best? Makkachin is the love of my life, she's so fluffy and well-behaved! Even if she likes to eat things she really shouldn't."

Yuuri chuckles, taken off guard by Victor's sudden transformation into an avid dog lover, even going so far as to sound like a proud father talking about their child, and nods even as he feels a little part of his heart go _oh no._

"I have pictures! Do you want to see pictures of my Makkachin?" Victor says, excitedly digging into his pockets for his phone, and then his eyes widen in realization. "I know! Show me pictures of your poodle too! Poodle picture exchange!"

"I- okay," Yuuri says, still chuckling as he takes out his phone and thumbs down in the search of his Vicchan folder, feeling his heart beating just a tad out of synch.

A phone is shoved under his nose just as he finds and opens the folder, and Victor eagerly takes his when Yuuri offers it with a smile. Then Yuuri looks down to Victor's phone, a smile already in place, and blinks.

"Huh," Victor says, looking at Yuuri's pictures, and Yuuri agrees with the feeling. He turns to the next photo, and then the next, and feels his eyebrows steadily climb to his forehead.

"They...look exactly the same," Yuuri finally says, still unable the fully grasp the concept even as he looks at the photographic proof, and Victor laughs.

"They do! They really do! Your dog looks like a smaller version of Makka, it's _adorable_." Victor almost coos, and Yuuri feels his face blush with newfound force. He's not even sure if it's in pleasure or embarrassment anymore. Victor cocks his head to the side, and Yuuri tries to tamp down his mental reaction at the _ridiculously cute_ gesture. "What's her name?"

"Ah- Vicchan. She's named Vicchan," Yuuri finally admits, feeling embarrassment come back as he remembers that he named his dog after a fictional character he crushed _hard_ on as a kid. Damn ballet animes and hot international casts.

Twelve years later, and Mari still hasn't let him live it down.

"That's cute," Victor chuckles, looking through more pictures with soft, fond eyes, and Yuuri stares at him for a while before remembering he's supposed to be doing the same. Still, he takes a peek here and there between images.

Or at least he does until he gets to the pictures of Victor and Makkachin on the beach, and particularly one of them _wrestling in the water_.

Yuuri's mouth goes dry.

Victor chuckles, distracting Yuuri from his intense staring at a certain pic (he might have zoomed in on Victor's pecs. For strictly scientific purposes, of course), and Yuuri flushes in embarrassment at being caught before he notices Victor is actually showing him a certain picture of Vicchan.

Specifically, one of Vicchan in the snow, so deep that only his head and smiling face peeks out of the trail he'd left in the wake of his energetic jumping and dashing around.

"My Makkachin used to do and look exactly the same, back when we still lived in Russia," Victor says, sounding soft and fond. "It snows a lot in St. Petersburg. Not so much here."

"I see," Yuuri says, smiling at the picture as memories rush back. "We don't usually get that much snow either, if at all, but that winter was a pretty cold one. Classes got canceled, it was really fun."

Victor laughs again, amused. "I would've liked it if a little snow got our school canceled, back in high school. Sadly we were expected to walk through snowstorms and freezing temperatures for the sake of education."

"Really?" Yuuri asks, eyes wide, and Victor nods. Yuuri makes a sound between a snort and an amused sigh. "That sounds crazy."

"We prefer to call it Russian," Victor confides, winking, and Yuuri laughs. "But really, your dog is so cute! She looks so fluffy and cuddly, like a plushie! And you carry her around everywhere in your pictures, it's really cute."

"Yours looks very fluffy and cuddly too, although maybe a bit heavy to carry around," Yuuri chuckles, good natured. Then, his mood sobers a little. "It's been years since I've seen her, though. Between school, and work and life in general...Sometimes I wonder if she still even remembers me anymore."

"Of course she remembers you," Victor says with a serious face, looking almost personally insulted by Yuuri's self-doubt. "It's obvious she adores you in the pictures, and you adore her right back. She'll probably have a puppy meltdown when she sees you again."

Yuuri smiles, and nods. Yeah, he can imagine that happening. Vicchan had already reacted with excited barking and what Mari had described between boisterous laughter as a 'joyful butt wriggle so strong she fell to the floor' when he'd talked to her on the phone some months ago.

If anything, this whole talk has made the dull ache of missing her flare back with a vengeance.

Maybe he can use his savings to buy a ticket to Japan next summer...

"But Yuuri, do you know what this means?" Victor asks, smiling with something resembling childish glee as Yuuri blinks himself back into the present, and he slowly shakes his head in confusion. "We're poodle twins!"

Yuuri makes a face, even as Victor raises his arms in joy, and he wonders if mentioning elementary school girls' lingo would be too weird for this conversation. Even if Victor makes an adorable thirteen years old girl in spirit if anything.

Still, Yuuri suddenly feels trapped in a Disney family comedy show. A very bizarre and surprisingly diverse comedy show, but.

He's half waiting in fear for the laugh track to begin.

"No?" Victor says, snapping Yuuri from his ridiculous thoughts as he puts down his arms and taps a finger against his lips in thought. A slow smile crosses his face, and then the barista is leaning over the counter and alarmingly close to Yuuri's face, practically purring his next words. "What about _poodle soulmates_ , then?"

Yuuri feels his face catch on fire, from his neck all the way to his ears and the roots of his hair, and his flight or fight instincts smash into him so hard he freezes on the stool, just a breath away from running out of the coffee shop for his life.

Instead, Victor blinks and leans back until he's properly standing on the other side of the counter again, giving Yuuri back his space, something like sheepishness on his face.

"Sorry, too fast?" Victor says, voice soft and apologetic, and Yuuri takes two deep breaths as he tries to get his heart back in working order, and then swallows half of his tea in one go.

"It's- it's okay, I'm okay," Yuuri hears himself say, faintly, and Victor smiles at him with something surprisingly like awkwardness before he's being called away and back to his job.

Right. Because Victor is a barista, and Yuuri is in his coffee shop.

If this is the way the man treats his clients, then it's no wonder the place is obviously doing so well, slow hour and all.

Yuuri had actually forgotten for a bit where he was. And who he was, too, actually. He doesn't think he could've remembered his name two minutes ago, or the name of his hometown.

He takes deep breaths, trying to calm himself down and not inhale the rest of the tea in one go (a failure), and feels his mind start to buzz into overdrive.

Is this actually happening? Maybe Russians are just candid and flirty like that. God knows Spaniards go around kissing each other's cheeks as a greeting, maybe it's a cultural thing. Maybe Victor is just someone who's really into Spanish culture and that's why he's so flirty. Or maybe it's a marketing strategy?

There's no way Victor is actually interested in _him,_ after all, not Yuuri Katsuki who can't even dance in front of a crowd under pressure without making a fool out of himself, and the thought is both grounding and makes his stomach sink.

He almost got away from himself here, believing that someone who should have his face plastered in magazines and high fashion ads would be interested in _him._ Victor's probably just being professional, or what counts as professional in his books.

It makes sense, that such a ridiculous coffee shop would have such ridiculously charismatic and flirty bartenders.

Yeah, the man is just being extra friendly.

By the time Victor reappears, walking straight to the coffee machine to putter around with it, Yuuri feels calmed down enough to have a normal conversation.

So of course, he asks the most inappropriate question _ever._

"So, do you have a lover?"

Yuuri wants to die.

Victor's hands jump up, almost throwing the cup of brewed coffee all over his shirt, and he turns around with flushed cheeks and a smile that is so forced even Yuuri recognizes it as fake.

He feels his stomach sink in dread. God, he's such an _idiot_ and a _creep..._

"I don't, actually!" Victor says, forced cheer in his voice, and then he's leaning back into Yuuri's space and saying with an eager voice. "Do you?"

Yuuri gapes, face turning the color of tomatoes even as his brain screeches like a broken disk being scratched by nails, and somehow manages to verbalize a negative.

Victor practically _lights up_ at his answer, finishing his order before disappearing with it and a bounce in his steps.

Yuuri hides his face in his hands and tries not to submit to the urge to scream.

Then a hand clasps around his shoulder, a familiar voice saying "Yuuri! Found you!" And Yuuri _does_ let out a scream.

A short one. Barely a yelp, really.

Given the expression Phichit greets him with, Yuuri knows defending himself for maybe screaming is already a lost battle. It's official, Yuuri's life is a train wreck of embarrassment after embarrassment.

Phichit drags him to the newly occupied booth with two men sitting, and Yuuri blinks as he sees that Victor is already there noting down their orders.

Wait, no. _Chatting_ with the men as if they were old friends.

"Guys, this is my friend Yuuri," Phichit happily introduces him once they're in front of the table, and Yuuri tries to rush through the pleasantries and sit down fast in the hopes that _maybe_ Phichit will be too distracted with him to pay attention to Victor. Given that he proceeds to look at the silver haired man with a cheshire grin, the plan is a failure. "And _you_ must be the barista!"

"Yes?" Victor asks, tilting his head in confusion.

"Yuuri has told me a lot about you!" Phichit says, shaking Victor's hand like a hurricane passing through, and Yuuri buries his face in his hands with a groan. "Or, well, how attractive he finds you."

"Phichit!" Yuuri yelps, glaring at his best friend.

"I'm Phichit!" Phichit says, having the gall to _wink_ , and Yuuri isn't going back to America with a roommate.

He's going back with a _corpse._

(Whether it'll be his or Phichit's it's yet to be decided.)

"A pleasure," Victor says, smiling and looking a bit dazed. It's a better reaction compared to some Yuuri has seen before. "And uh, sorry for asking, but are you Phichit _Chulanont_ , as in _the_ _Grand Prix finalist_?"

"That I am!" Phichit says, lighting up like it's Christmas. "You're a skating fan too? That's perfect! Care for a selfie?" He adds, because _of course_ he does, and before Yuuri can turn his plans of hiding in the bathroom a reality he's being dragged into a group selfie with Phichit's two new friends and Victor.

As they settle down, Yuuri finally gets the names of the other men ("This is Chris and his boyfriend, Luca.") and watches in mild bewilderment as Chris and Victor easily joke with each other as the table erupts in conversation.

Apparently, Phichit's new friends know and are friends with Victor already, and they have a good laugh out of the ridiculous coincidence.

In the back of his mind, Yuuri rethinks his comedy show musings with something akin to dawning horror.

Thankfully, Phichit is there to drag him back into the conversation before he gets too lost in his mind, although Yuuri rethinks his gratitude when what comes out of his best friend's lips is "so, did you already exchange numbers or should I just give you Yuuri's number myself?"

Victor, for his part, seems charmed by Phichit's liveliness, and Yuuri feels himself relaxing as the table's comfortable and friendly atmosphere sinks through his skin and settles in his bones. Victor is soon called back to work, pouting all the way and sending them puppy stares like it's somehow their fault he has a job to do, and Yuuri smiles behind his hand and keeps stealing glances at the man even as he starts a conversation with Chris and his boyfriend.

And really, hearing Chris talk about his friend and share embarrassing and otherwise adorable stories with him is almost enough to make him feel grateful that Phichit decided to play matchmaker and crash his... outing. Casual meeting.

Hours long tea break?

Yuuri startles out of his musings about Victor and their first meeting as he hears the man gleefully call "Yura!", and when he looks up he's met with the vision of a scowling, hoodie-clad teen walking towards a cheerful Victor taking off his apron and talking in what Yuuri assumes is Russian.

Yuuri watches, blinking in confusion as "Yura" puts on an apron of his own and practically kicks his way inside the bar counter, grumbling even as Victor waves him off and walks back towards their booth with a spring in his step.

"Hello again!" The man says, plopping down in the seat next to Yuuri, and Yuuri hesitantly greets him back.

"Your shift is done?" He asks, looking at the still scowling teen, now leaning on the counter like he's thinking of taking a nap, with a raised eyebrow. Yuuri almost yelps when the teen makes eye-contact with him and sends him a glare more venomous than a viper.

"Yep, you could say that!" Victor says, cheerful, and Chris snorts in his drink. "Yura will take care of everything," he adds, breezily waving his hand towards the blond teen.

"His name is Yura?" Yuuri asks, curious because the way Victor seems to be unfazed by the blond's very unprofessional actions seems to point to some kind of familiarity. Maybe a cousin?

"Ah, actually, it's Yuri. I just call him Yura sometimes," Victor says, putting a finger over his lips. "Maybe I should think of a better nickname for him, though? So there won't be two Yuris..."

"Ah, no! That's not necessary!" Yuuri says quickly, hands flailing around like panicked chickens. "I'm just a passing customer, after all."

Victor hums, looking unconvinced, but drops the subject.

"So, Victor, since you're taking a _break_ ," Chris starts, smiling like a cat who got the canary and the cream (and probably a romp too, given the kind of comments the man has been making since they swapped hellos). "Why don't you explain to Phichit and me how you two met, hmm?"

Yuuri flushes, gaping at the question, and sends Phichit a betrayed look when the man just leans on his elbows and nods, eyes and smile wide even as he not-so-subtly angles his camera towards Victor's face.

"Oh, well. It's not much of a story, really, given that we just meet today," Victor starts, and Yuuri agrees.

"I just came in to get something to drink," Yuuri says, hoping it'll be enough to appease their nosiness.

"Yuuri walked in, glowing like a prince charming of fairy tales in the midday light coming through the doors, and the rest is history," Victor continues, ignoring Yuuri's attempts to do damage control, and Yuuri almost chokes on his tongue.

He's pretty sure the new shade of red in his face is permanent.

Phichit 'ooohhhhhh's, sounding elated, and even Chris laughs in delight at Victor's over-the-top, ridiculous description.

"If anything, the prince charming in this story is you," Yuuri mumbles, hiding his face with a hand, and misses the ensuing redness in Victor's cheeks.

Victor chuckles.

"I do try my best to be charming," the Russian says, and Yuuri hears the unsaid _to make my clients keep coming back_ all the same. His stomach sinks despite all the reality checks he's tried to give himself all day. "Especially for handsome tourists looking to drink some black tea to warm them up."

Yuuri looks up at Victor's face, and feels something twist and flutter and _soar_ at the soft, private smile the man gives him, almost sheepish.

He feels himself give him a smile of his own in answer without conscious thought.

Then Chris sighs, breaking through the little bubble of their own with a wistful 'ah, just like when me and Luca met', and Yuuri focuses his gaze on his hands and tries to ignore the embarrassment nipping at his ears.

The conversation quickly shifts, going back to more casual topics, and Yuuri relaxes minutely as he listens and watches in silence. Chris says something to Victor in what sounds like French, switching languages without seeming fully aware of it, and Victor answers him in kind, smiling.

Yuuri looks between them, confused by the exchange, and frowns a little. A small nagging of _ah, they're flirting, maybe he's interested_ is quickly shut down with the reminder that Chris is there with his boyfriend, but still… it bothers him, for some reason.

Yuuri looks down, frowning at himself.

He doesn't have any kind of _right_ on what Victor does or doesn't do, so Yuuri has no reason to feel as irritated as he does. They just met, after all, and Yuuri is just a… cute customer, or something, although he has a hard time believing that.

Victor laughs at something Chris says, and Yuuri looks up instinctively, eyes widening slightly in realization as he watches Victor's face.

_Oh, I'm jealous._

It's… oddly reassuring, in its own way, and it makes watching the rest of their private exchange somewhat more palatable.

Something vibrates in his pants, and he takes his phone out and stares at the text.

He looks up at Phichit, raising an eyebrow, but Phichit seems engrossed in Victor and Chris' French conversation.

Yeah, as if.

Sighing, he writes his answer.

 

_Hey Yuri, everything okay? You're kind of making a dumb face_

_thanks Phichit_

_Just saying!! It's your 'I'm going to make something stupid and self-sabotaging if someone doesn't take my head out my ass' face_

_wow_

_Yuri...._

_It's nothing, really_

_I just..._

_it's dumb I guess_

_don't care. tell me_

_i- you-_

_do you_

_do you think Victor actually likes me?_

_I mean… I'm me_

_do you need photographic evidence because I have the entire 'yuuri is my prince charming' conversation in video_

_also several creep shots of him looking at you. he's been sneaking looks since he sat down istg_

_Phichit! Please delete those creep shots_

_nobody likes getting creep shots of them taken_

_Are you kidding me_

_I'm saving them for your wedding day_

_I've decided that my best man speech will be a power point reenactment of your first meeting. Chris already agreed to help me with the interpretative dance_

 

Yuuri gapes at his phone, spluttering, and jumps as a hand touches his shoulder.

"Yuuri? Are you okay?" Victor asks, frowning at him before glancing down at Yuuri's phone, and he practically smashes the thing against his thigh screen-first in answer.

"Y-yes! I'm fine," Yuuri says, and Victor gives him a long and assessing look before his expression melts into a soft smile. Yuuri smiles back, smaller but still feeling like it's being gently coaxed out of him, and ignores the way Phichit's phone is angled in their direction on the corner of his eye.

"So, are you coming?" Victor asks, smile widening in excitement, and Yuuri blinks at him.

"Huh? Coming?"

"Chris wants to go to a club tonight, some nightlife touring," Victor explains, eyes bright as he wraps a hand around Yuuri's own. "Phichit already agreed to go. So, what do you say?"

"Join us, Yuuri!" Phichit pipes in, grinning behind a hand and still pointing his damn phone at them.

"I- okay, sure." Yuuri nods, and Victor lights up even further, looking halfway about to pounce Yuuri in a hug.

Yuuri thinks he'll die.

"Okay," Victor agrees, squeezing his hand, and then the conversation goes back to what he now realizes turned into planning for the night out at some point during Yuuri's distraction.

Yuuri hopes there's not much alcohol involved. He's terrible when drunk, and once he starts...

Victor, Yuuri notices, doesn't let go of his hand, and after reading Phichit's words he finds himself hyper aware of where Victor is looking at all times.

Surprisingly, Victor _does_ seem to look back at Yuuri from time to time, even in the middle of conversation with someone else, and Yuuri feels his face flush when their eyes meet. He smiles at him, feeling like an awkward teenager all over again, and Victor's face softens even as he smiles back.

(Yuuri might need to thank Phichit later for getting his head out of his ass.)

 

 

 

Later, when they start wrapping up and the angry Yuri cleans their table with no little amounts of grumbling and cursing, to Victor's apparent amusement, Yuuri feels himself linger. He's the last one to leave, Phichit giving him knowing looks as Victor starts tying his apron, and he tries to ignore the weight of them against his back as best as he can.

"So, uh," Yuuri starts, and then stops, realising he has no idea what to say. They already paid their tab, and Yuuri paid for his cups of tea (to Victor's pouting and displeased complaints) so...

Victor doesn't seem to have much idea of what to say either.

"Yes?"

"Uh... I'll see you tonight, then?" Yuuri asks, fingers beginning to scratch against his jeans, and he chews at the inside of his lip.

"Yeah, tonight."

"Okay."

"Okay."

They look at each other, and Yuuri tries not to snort in laughter. Victor chuckles, and then his arms are wrapping around Yuuri and gently pushing their chests together in a hug.

"See you tonight," Victor says in his ear, and Yuuri smiles at him with no little amount of giddiness, knowing he must look like a lobster at the moment.

Phichit doesn't mention it when he finally catches up to him at the end of the street, but Yuuri knows he'll be hearing about it _forever_ if their night goes well.

And Yuuri… Yuuri hopes it does. He already can't wait to see Victor again.

His phone vibrates with a new message, and Yuuri unlocks it to read.

 

_See you tonight ;)) <3 -V_

 

He grins.

 

* * *

 

_Heard you went home with Victor!!!_

_Congrats on netting a hottie_

_Phichit...._

_He awakens! Did you have fun yesterday?_

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

_Nothing_ _**happened**_ _._

_Not that I remember, anyways_

_Oh???_

_Ohhh....._

_Too much to drink?_

_Too much to drink_

_Damn_

_Are you okay?_

_Everything's okay. Nothing happened and nothing hurts other than my head_

_We woke up cuddling naked in bed but you know how I get when I'm blackout drunk_

_**Do I** _

_...his poodle is the friendliest and most adorable dog I've ever met, second to Vicchan_

_Second to Vicchan, hmm_

_So, when's the wedding? Because he sounds like a keeper_

_Phichit!_

_Just saying!_

 

 

 

_....._

_It's not like it would work out, Phichit. We're leaving in a week, and we probably won't see each other again after_

_Psht, you'll be coming back next year when that ballet company hires you, Yuuri_

_**If**_ _, Phichit,_ _**if**_ _they hire me. They just said they'd keep in contact, nothing is set in stone yet_

_And I'm telling you they will_

_I'll bet you ten bucks and my limited edition Ass Creed poster. I know you've been ogling it, sir_

_...._

_ten bucks?_

_I'm a broke college student, Yuuri_

_I want your special edition Hamtaro poster if I win though_

_Deal_

_Also, if for some unexplainable reason you don't get hired, you could always join Chris at his night job_

_I heard pair strippers who know how to work a pole are in demand ;)_

_Phichit!_

 

 

 

Phichit wins the poster.

 

**Author's Note:**

> ¿Qué puedo hacer por ti, guapo?: What can I do for you, handsome?  
> ¡Eh, Víctor! ¿ligando con la clientela? ¡Al chiquillo se le ve a punto de morir!: Hey Victor! Flirting with customers? The boy looks about to die!


End file.
